This is the number 1 risk, the most dreaded in maritime transport. A large rescue operation was underway on Monday off the Swedish coast after a fire, now “under control”, on a car ferry with 300 people on board, we learned from the maritime authorities and the shipowner.
The fire, which appears to have started from a refrigerated truck, broke out on the parking deck of the Stena Scandica, which provided a link between Sweden and Latvia.
“The fire is under control,” Lisa Mjorning, spokeswoman for the Swedish Maritime Administration, told AFP.
Three helicopters and seven ships
“It’s a limited fire, concentrated around a refrigerated truck on the car deck,” Stefan Elfström, a spokesman for the company that operates the ship, told Stefan Elfström. “It looks like the fire started in the truck,” he said.
Three helicopters and seven ships were dispatched to the scene. Some 240 passengers are on board, for 50 to 60 crew members.
No injuries were reported immediately, after an alert launched around 12:30 p.m. local time (10:30 GMT).
“It’s mostly smoke, and the amount of smoke has reduced significantly,” said Stefan Elfström.
The Stena Scandica is off the island of Gotska Sandön, southeast of the Swedish coast. It was operating between Nynäshamn near Stockholm and Ventspils in Latvia, according to Stena Line.